Smyrna times., 1887-12-07
A PHoNoGRAM OF WAX.

In Edison's laboratory, which he is
now finishing at cost of nearly a |
quarter of a million of dollars, and |
which will be the most perfect affair of |
its kind in the world, the photograph !
stands on a table with the battery cells |
underneath. A little switch causes
the motor to begin revolving at the
rate of eighty revolutions a minute; it
makes no noise and will be covered up
in the finished instrument. As soon as
it starts a wax roller may be placed
upon the metal one and the impinging
diaphragm brought to bear upon the
wax; the second the needle point
touches the wax a low singing sound
can be heard from the diaphgram.
This shows that all is ready. The
speaker can then talk to the phono-
graph, muing a small mOuthpiece.
On a cylinder of wax, four inches long
by one and a quarter inch in diameter,
800 words can be marked. The line of
dots is in a spiral, round and round the
cylinder. No shouting is necessary
merely a clear and distinct tone.
To illustrate how perfectly this
photograph gives back what is said to
it left the room while Edison read
out to the photograph a long list of
geographical names of the different
points connected by certain electric
table, and upon coming back to the
room 1 listened and repeated what l
heard. At first, owing to an accident
to one of the adjusting screws, nothing
but a confused tumble resulted; when
this was fixed / could distinguish nine
teen words out of twenty, and when
the room was quiet, which was not al
ways the case, as workmen were busy
all over the building, 1 could make out
every syllable. Edison himself, after
a number of experiments in the quiet
of his own house, has no hesitation in
saying that it will be possible to use
the photograph constantly as reader
for a party of people sitting around a
table, but, of course, the utmost
silence must be preserved. He has, al
though he is slightly deaf. heard whole
sentences distinctly at a distance of
five feet, when a good funnel was used
which magnifed the sound.
Another experiment was then made
with an acquaintance of mine, who
was asked to step out of the room while
one of Edison's assistants read out a
whole page from q Nicholas Nickelby."
Upon coming back the listener, not
withstanding that the photograph was
rather out of gear owing to a partial
dismounting that morning, repeated
more than so per cent. of the words Of
the photograph at the first hearing
using avery defective ear-phOne and al
the second hearing gave every word O.
the original text. The reading was
done in an ordinary tone of voice anC
l at the rate of 200 words a minute-aI
fast as a good reader usually reads. Il
is possible that some persons may re
quire little practice before they car
: catch every syllable with distinctness
Even the best telephones are not easily
; understood by persons who are not &C
customed to their use. Anyone VIII,
can understand a telephone message
viii find no difficulty in using the
) photograph.
Some experiments were then mad
to show the marvellous faculty whicl
8 the photograph has of repeating o
different sounds. For instance, ate
reading over few lines from news
8 paper, one of Edison's assistants turne
the monograph back and sang q FEY